Friends with the Dolan Twins

Chanel

"Tickets for what?" I asked my eyes closed.
"For... the... tour... Dolan Twins..." Katie said breathless.
"Guys, I don't even like them." I whined sitting up and opening my eyes.
"You don't know them!" Lexie said, reaching inside her pocket and pulling out a folded paper.
I took it and unfolded it looking at the printed ticket.

"You got meet and greet tickets?" I asked giving it back to Lexie.
"Yeah, that's yours Tina! It's in a week!" Katie said.
"Yeah but I'm sure I'll end up losing it so Lexie can take care of it." I said.
"Wait... does that mean you're going?!" They both asked.
"You already got the tickets." I pointed out.
"True." Lexie said shrugging.
I laughed as they both squealed.

The next day I lay in bed my eyes open.
It was February the twentieth. A date that meant I would be visiting the L.A. cemetery.
I got up, went to wash my face, and looked for a black lace dress.
It was long sleeved, it hugged my breasts and waist, and from my waist down it was loose, five inches from my knees.
I sighed and looked in the mirror from my vanity then sat down. I applied no foundation, just mascara and filled in my eyebrows.
I put my hair in a bun. And took a deep... breath.

A year and a half ago- Summer Vacation in L.A.

"Tina answer the phone! It might be Chanel!" My mom yelled from her room as the phone downstairs rang.
I went and answered. "Hello?"
"Hello, may I speak to Mrs. Parra?" A female voice asked gently.
"She's busy but I can take a message." I said taking a pen and a little notepad we kept beside the phone.
"Are you over the age of eighteen?" She asked.
"Yes." I lied, I was seventeen.

"Very well, we call from the Lady Angels Hospital, a girl by the name Chanel Parra was brought in..." and the rest of her words were an echo in my head.

A knock interrupted my flashback.
"We leave in fifteen Tina." My dad said softly.
I swallowed and nodded, though I knew he couldn't see me.
"Cristina?" He asked.
"Mhm... Yeah okay." I said.
I heard his footsteps fading and got up to lock the door. Then I took the cap of a lipstick and threw it to Grayson's window. Nothing.
I took a water bottle and threw it. Nothing.
I took a a lipstick that was almost empty and threw it.
I saw the curtains moving.

Ethan's head popped out.
"Tina!" He said happy. "Long time no see."
I smiled softly. "Y-yeah. You guys have become strangers."
"Are you okay?" He asked frowning and leaning out.
"Yeah I'm okay. What are you doing in Gray's room?" I asked.
"Hanging out with him but he needed a potty break." He said. "We were actually wondering if you were gonna be busy."

I laughed softly. "I wanted to talk to you. About something serious."
"Oh. Okay yeah." He said. He got ready to jump to my window.
And the next I knew he was in my room.
"Just... keep it down." I said sitting on my vanity.
"You look- not good." He said.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically. "It's not exactly my favorite day of the year." I whispered.
"What do you mean?" He asked softly.

"I need to-"
"Ethan!" I heard Grayson's voice. "Bro?"
"Should I tell him to come?" He asked and I nodded. Ethan walked towards my window. "Bro come here."
Then I remembered. "Wait!" I hissed loudly. "His wrist."
"You think that'll stop me?" Grayson asked grinning.
And yeah, next thing I knew I had the twins sitting on my bed staring at me.
"Pretty dress." Gray said.
"Shh. Keep it down. She wants to tell us something serious." Ethan said.

"Okay... I feel like we've become good friends-"
"Great-" Ethan interrupted.
"Awesome." Grayson corrected.
I laughed softly. "Yes. And I feel like I can tell you anything, you know? No secrets."
"I'm glad you feel like that, we feel the same way Tina." He looked at his twin. "You know you can always count on us." Ethan said after a small pause, still looking at Grayson.

I sighed. I'd never told this to anyone, except Lexie and Katie.

"Last year, on this day, I lost my sister Chanel. She... lost her battle against cancer." I said taking a deep breath.

"They gave us call a few weeks before she passed away, that she'd been brought in to the hospital from her summer camp because she felt a lot of pain in her stomach." I continued.
"We were here in L.A. when it happened. And I- I took the call." I closed my eyes for a bit, then opened them again. "When we got to the hospital, the doctors talked to my parents. She'd been diagnosed with cancer...stage four."

And I felt the tears streaming down my face.
When had I started crying?

"She didn't want medication. Because she knew it wouldn't 'take' the cancer away, it would just 'help' her live a little longer... Suffer more, that's what it meant to her."

"I talked to her." I said frowning while trying to remember the conversation I had buried in the back of my mind. "'Did you ever feel this pain before?' I'd asked her. She said yes. And I was mad because she hadn't said anything about it. She could've been saved, healed." I whispered high enough so that the twins could hear me.
"She passed away at night. And before she did, she said she wanted her ashes to be spread at the beach. She loved it here, in L.A. especially the beach." I sniffed. "You would've liked her." I said laughing softly. My head hanging low.

I didn't even see or heard when they stood up to come and crouch beside me. Ethan then stood and hugged me, pulling my head against his chest.
Gray took my hands and put his head against my arm.

"It's okay. We're here." Ethan whispered.